List of rail accidents in Sri Lanka

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This list of railway accidents in Sri Lanka provides details of significant railway crashes in Sri Lanka involving railway rolling stock.

Other than these, a number of accidents have taken place. One major type is elephant accidents, which typically occur in the North-Central area. Other accidents occur at unsecured level crossings with road traffic.

Worst disasters[edit]

Tsunami rail disaster

The worst disaster was the 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami-rail disaster with more than 1700 people killed by a tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[1]

1900s[edit]

  • 12 March 1928 – A passenger train and a mixed train collided near Kalutara killing 28 people.
  • 23 May 1958 – A night mail train derailed at Batticaloa, killing three and injuring several others.
  • 18 March 1964 – Sixty people died in a derailment at Mirigama.[2]
  • 19 January 1985 – Eleven passengers were killed by an LTTE bomb on a Yal Devi train.
  • October 1985 – A freight train from Trincomalee to Colombo was bombed by LTTE. A Class M2 No. 571 locomotive was destroyed.
  • 24 July 1996 – Seventy people died after a train was bombed by LTTE at Dehiwala.
  • 4 December 1996 – LTTE attacked another train on the Trincomalee Line. Class M6 No. 7981 locomotive was destroyed in this incident.

2000s[edit]

Alawwa train crash
  • 19 August 2001 – A train derailed due to high speed and overcrowding, killing 46 people, between Alawwa and Rambukkana.
  • January 2002 – The Intercity Express heading to Colombo from Kandy derails near Rambukkana causing more than 15 deaths. The derailment was due to malfunctioning of the braking system.
  • 13 June 2002 – A train derailed while coming into Alawwa railway station, killing 14 people.
  • 26 December 2004 – 2004 tsunami rail disaster. At Peraliya, approximately 2685 died in the world's biggest rail disaster as a train is overwhelmed by the tsunami created by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
  • 26 April 2005 – Polgahawela level crossing collision, a private bus driver tries to overtake another bus and the train at a level crossing in Yangalmodara close to Polgahawela crashed. Thirty-seven people died, all on the bus.[3]
  • 17 September 2011 – 2011 Alawwa rail accident, near Alawwa railway station, two trains (intercity express train no 1029 Colombo to Kandy and a Class S11 DMU) collided killing five people and injuring over 30 people.[4]
  • 17 May 2012 – Two trains collided between the Wandurawa and Keenawala railway stations in Veyangoda.[5]
  • 30 April 2014 – An Intercity Express train to north and the Colombo bound Rajarata Rajina train collided at Pothuhera, injuring 68 passengers.[6]
  • 5 February 2018 - A train travelling between Colombo and Galle collided with a truck at Angulana, killing four people and seriously injuring two others.
  • 28 August 2019 - Two trains travelling between Colombo Fort and Maradana stations (Fort-Chilaw) and (Maradana-Kalutara) collided head on at around 10:20 AM, with no injuries.
  • 1 February 2022 - A family of four was killed when their vehicle collided with Rajarata Rajina at Rillamba Junction in Boossa.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Daily Mirror Online Edition". 26 December 2008.
  2. ^ "Railway Museum of Sri Lanka". Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  3. ^ Ramanayake, Wasantha (April 23, 2004). "Bus illegally driven round the end of the level crossing barrier". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "Death toll in Alawwa train accident rises to 5". 18 September 2011.
  5. ^ "News First". Trains collide in Veyangoda. 18 May 2012.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "68 injured in train accident". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 May 2014.

External links[edit]

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